The project teams (PTs) of the Committee for ITU Policy (Com-ITU) held a meeting last 6-8 July in Warsaw devoted to preparing for the next ITU Plenipotentiary Conference (PP-10, scheduled for this 4-22 October in Mexico). The teams in question are: PT1 (PP-10 issues involving the Constitution and Convention, including generic issues not included in the mandates of PT2 and PT3); PT2 (PP-10 issues concerning finances and human resources); and PT3 (PP-10 issues concerning the internet, information society (deriving from the World Summit on the Information Society – WSIS) and the International Telecommunications Regulations (ITR)).
The meetings were chaired by Marie-Therese Alajouanine of France (PT1), Blanca Maria González of Spain (PT2) and Anders Jonsson of Sweden (PT3), replacing the chairman of this project team, Wim Rullens of the Netherlands. The following were noteworthy:
- The need to draw up a new set of European common proposals (ECPs) in the scope of preparations for PP-10 was approved. The writing of such proposals was therefore discussed, namely:
- PT1: Proposal to revise the functioning of ITU exhibitions/forums, meaning a proposed merger of Resolutions 2 and 11; proposal not to change the definition of radiocommunications set in the Appendix to the ITU Convention; and proposal to strengthen the protection of satellite telecommunications;
- PT2: Proposal to revise Resolution 71 concerning the ITU Strategy Plan; proposal to revise Resolution 91 on the recovery of costs ascribed to certain ITU products and services; proposal to establish an Audit Committee; and proposal concerning the translation of Recommendations;
- PT3: Proposal concerning the International Telecommunications Regulation (ITR).
The different ECPs will be voted on at the next Com-ITU meeting, scheduled for 21-23 September in Vilnius, Lithuania.
- Other matters discussed at the project teams’ meetings:
- Under PT1 the work produced was examined, along with the PP-10 proposals submitted by other regional organisations such as the Asia-Pacific Telecommunity (APT), the Arab Group, the African Telecommunications Union (ATU) and the Regional Commonwealth Commission (RCC). Also analysed were a number of other issues followed by this Committee, namely the ITU brand and the role of the Telecommunications Standardisation Advisory Group (TSAG);
- PT2 saw discussion of the ITU-authored document presenting the Strategy and Finance Plan for 2012-2015. The main conclusions of the June 2010 meetings of the ITU Council working groups on financial affairs (FINREGS – Financial Regulation) and human resources management were also conveyed;
- In PT3 the Lithuanian representative provided some explanations about the framework of the upcoming Internet Governance Forum (IGF) scheduled for 14-17 September in Vilnius. Reports were presented on recent gatherings such as the meeting of the ITU Council working group on implementation of the World Summit on the Information Society results and of the Dedicated Group on Internet-Related Public Policy Issues, both held in June 2010. The conclusions of the April 2010 meeting of the ITU Council working group preparing for the 2012 World Conference on International Telecommunications (WG WCIT) were also presented.
